Thursday, May 22, 2008

2) We’re still waiting for the last stain, on the lymph node biopsy. The last thing we don’t know about is micro-metastatic disease. Everything else is clean. There is no lymphatic or vascular involvement, or anything else the test has screened for. (I don't remember the list.) After this last stain, I could be cancer-free.

They thought the tumor was 3mm deep; it turns out to have been 6. The technical information is "Stage 2B, without lymph involvement." How it got that big and dangerous without invading anything, I don't know. So again, I am so damned lucky.

I say "lucky" rather than "blessed" for a reason. People get sicker than I was, all the time. God is also with them.

I see the oncologist again on Tuesday, and should have final test results. I go back to the head/neck surgeon in a month. My ear hurts a little, and feels kind of weird; that’s normal for what it went through, just a week ago.

Thank God for dissolvable sutures.

I feel like I keep freaking out my friends (and myself), and the news keeps being good. Thank you for coming along on this ride.

Oh baby, I'm so glad. I had awful images of you with half a ear gone. You just need to get the OK on Tuesday and you're a survivor, with renewed strength to help the lowly, and we all can rejoice without fear.